List membership is free to all paid-up members of MLFHS. You
MUST be a member of the list to receive list messages from and to post messages
to the list. It is, however, possible for the list administrator to forward a
message to the list from a non-member if this is considered appropriate (e.g.
some FFHS announcements).

This page provides detailed instructions on the use of the list
and the tools available to you to manage your list membership.

Type your e-mail address into the box provided. Please do remember that
the e-mail address you use when you join the list is the ONLY one which will
be "recognised" by the system. If you try to send messages to the list from a
different address it will be rejected.

Type your first name and surname followed by your membership number in the
box provided e.g. 'John Smith 12345'. Applications to join the list which do
not include a full name and member number will not be accepted.

Type your preferred password in the box provided and then re-type it in
the second box (this is to ensure you have not mis-typed it). Alternatively,
you can leave blank and the system will allocate a random password for you.

The system will by default send you each list message individually. If you
would prefer to receive a smaller number of mailings each containing several
messages, click the 'Yes' option alongside 'Would you like to receive list
mail batched as a daily digest? '

Click the button labelled 'Subscribe'

Your application will be sent to the list moderator for approval. When it is
approved, you will receive an e-mail from the system. This contains a link to
the system. Click this link. Your browser will open with a confirmation message.
You are now a member of the list. Please note that you
MUST do this within three days of the message arriving.

The member interface to the e-mail list system allows registered members to
unsubscribe, to get a password reminder, to change e-mail address and
password, to suspend
mail delivery during a holiday and to change between delivery of individual
messages or 'digests'. All of these changes can be made without the need to
involve the system administrator. Some functions require you to log into the
user interface using your password.

UnsubscribingYou should ONLY unsubscribe if you wish to leave the list
permanently. If you wish to stop list messages arriving for a short
period, for example when you are on holiday, you should suspend mail delivery as
described below.

An e-mail will be sent to your registered address. This contains a link to
the system. Click this link. Your browser will open with a confirmation message.
You are now no longer a member of the list. Please note
that you MUST do this within three days of the message arriving.

Password Reminder
If you are having difficulty logging into the member interface, please note that
the password is case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as it was originally
specified when you joined the list or last changed your password. If you still
have difficulty, you can get a password reminder mailed to your registered
e-mail address.

Changing your e-mail address
If you change your Internet Service Provider (ISP) it is likely your e-mail
address will also change. Until you change the address registered with the
system to your NEW address, list messages will continue to be mailed to your OLD
address and messages sent from your new address will be rejected.

You may also amend your name and member number at this time if required -
otherwise do not change the entry

Click the button labelled 'Change my address and name'

An e-mail will be sent to your registered address. This contains a link to
the system. Click this link. Your browser will open with a confirmation message.
Your address has now been changed and your old address is no longer valid.
Please note that you MUST do this within three days of the
message arriving.

If you wish temporarily to have both old and new addresses registered on the
system, see 'Registering two addresses' below. This can sometimes be useful if
you are having teething troubles with a new ISP.

Disable/Enable mail delivery
You may occasionally wish to stop list messages arriving, for example while you
are away on holiday. The following method retains your membership of the list.
If you wish to stop messages PERMANENTLY then Unsubscribe as
described above.

Selecting single or digest mailings
You have the option of receiving each message posted to the list separately or
receiving 'digest' messages which contain several individual messages in a
single e-mail. By default delivery is set to individual messages.

You are advised to format your messages as TEXT and NOT as HTML. All messages
will be delivered in TEXT format regardless of how they were sent

Do not attach any files to your messages. These will be removed by the
system.

Why don't my messages appear on the
list?

Messages posted to the list address should be delivered to list members,
including a copy to the sender) within a matter of minutes. If you post a
message and you do not receive a copy (and you are receiving list messages from
other members) there may be several possible causes:

Unregistered address - The address from which you sent the message
is not your registered address. Such messages are trapped by the system and
will usually be bounced back by the list administrator. This may take several
days. See Changing your e-mail address or
Registering multiple addresses above as appropriate.

Message too big - The system will not forward any message larger
than about 64kB in size. This should be adequate for a very long text message
but an HTML format message with large (and particularly animated) graphic
content may fall foul of this limit. Some free mail services load extra
advertising content onto user messages. Use TEXT format or change mail
provider if it is not possible to reduce message size.

Messages being moderated - Your address has been made subject to
moderation and messages will only be forwarded to the list after the list
administrator has examined them. It would generally only be used in the event
of a member posting unacceptable content. Any member in this situation will
have been informed. Contact the system administrator if you believe this to be
the case.

Alternatively, you may not be receiving ANY messages from the list, in which
case possible causes are:

Mail delivery disabled - You may have disabled your mail for a
holiday and forgotten to enable it on your return. Alternatively, if the
system detects that messages to your address are being continually 'bounced'
(possibly due to a full mailbox or ISP fault) then your mail will be suspended
automatically. Follow the instructions under Disable/Enable
mail delivery above to check whether delivery is suspended and to enable
delivery if necessary.

Spam filtering - it is possible that you have inadvertently set up
a spam filter to divert MLFHS messages to a spam folder (or to delete them
completely). Check your spam filters and folders.

ISP spam filtering - Occasionally the list address can be
incorrectly identified as the source of spam and messages from the system
deleted by the ISP. This usually lasts no longer than 24 hours.

System faults - if the mail system server fails, delivery may cease
until it is restored. Messages sent to the list will usually be stored in the
mail network for several days before being bounced back to the sender if the
problem persists.

Can I get a virus from a
list message?

The simple and unequivocal answer is NO! Viruses are mailed as files attached
to e-mail messages and the list system removes any attachments before
distributing messages to members.

However, there are two circumstances in which you may be exposed to risk:

Infected links - If a message is generated by a virus infection and
uses a sender address which is registered with the system (this may not be the
address of the infected PC), it will be delivered to list members. Such a
message will not carry a virus but it may contain a link to a web site at
which an infection may be contracted. DO NOT CLICK ON
ANY LINK IN A LIST MESSAGE UNLESS YOU ARE SURE IT IS SAFE. Any list
message which consists of only a link or which promotes a product or which
exhorts you to click on the link is almost certainly spam and should be
deleted

Carbon Copies - If a list member answers a message by clicking
'Reply All' this will produce a reply to the list address and a carbon copy to
the original sender. If the respondent has a virus infection on their PC then
both messages may be infected. The reply via the list will have the virus
attachment removed by the list system, but the direct reply will will deliver
the virus file.

You should NEVER participate in e-mail unless you have anti-virus software
installed on your PC and keep this up to date with regular virus signature
updates. This will ensure that you are kept safe from virus infections from
incoming messages and that you do not pass infections on to other people.